This invention relates to an improvement to the sealing mechanism for fireplace frame enclosures, utilizing a metallic sealing strip capable of being inserted between the glass and its frame on the glass doors.
In recent years, attention to the conservation of energy has become not only a matter of economic expediency, but also a national and international political concern. The unneeded escape of energy or its inefficient use thereof has plagued the use of conventional fireplaces in residential and rental properties. To meet the need for conservation and efficient use of energy, enclosures of the fireplace aperture have been designed and become readily acceptable in the commercial market place. Examples of fireplace enclosures are U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,459,173 and 3,870,032.
Because the fireplace enclosure is susceptible to intense heat during combustion, all materials used therein must be capable of withstanding that intense heat so generated inside the fireplace. In present designs, the conjunction between the fireplace glass doors and the fireplace enclosure is designed to prevent air leakage. The sealing mechanism must also be unobtrusive to the overall operation of the glass doors in their pivotable characteristics. Therefore, use of elastomeric sealing mechanisms are disruptive to the sliding action of the glass doors when the sealing pieces are placed on the frame on which the doors are mounted.
Metallic sealing mechanisms have been employed in the window enclosure systems for dwellings. U.S. Pat. No. 1,642,176; U.S. Pat. No. 1,751,620; U.S. Pat. No. 1,844,254; U.S. Pat. No. 2,002,569; U.S. Pat. No. 2,015,259; U.S. Pat. No. 2,091,859; U.S. Pat. No. 2,117,978; Norwegian Pat. No. 100,002; British Pat. No. 767,094; and French Pat. No. 940,453 all teach the use of metallic sealing mechanisms for windows or weatherproof systems. Each of these mechanisms requires extensive revision of the fireplace door structure to achieve sealing qualities, such as wider frames reducing glass size. Further, the metallic strips in the present art require fasteners to secure the strips to the glass doors.
Therefore, it is desirable to have a sealing strip which will provide excellent sealing capabilities, and attach economically to existing fireplace enclosures while retaining the ability to withstand the heat of the fire.